They Fixed The Heater!!! :)

Welcome to China! What’s new you ask?

Hmm…well…its COLD, really really, COLD!!

Sure, I’ve been in New Paltz for the last 3 years. I’ve had my share of cold winters, but its wet and cold in a place that’s supposed to be at the latitude of Macon, Georgia. This city was hot and polluted when I got here. It would never rain, and now when it just starts to get below freezing now it starts up at full force.

Its been like this for the past two weeks, and for the entirety of those two weeks I have had no heat. The heater, attached to the upper wall over my desk, just wasn’t plugged in right. I finally got a maintenance guy to come in and fix it for me, and OH how sweet it feels! Dreams of warm blankets and hot coco run through my imagination.

The down(er) side to this is that now, nobody really wants to go in. We all want to stay in our little warm hovels and hide from the outside world. I, however, managed to find the motivation today, to go all the way to the center of the city to buy my girlfriend a few gifts. I think she’ll be pleased with what I found. It was great, because the malls were less packed then usual. Mind you, it was about the concentration of a regular mall day back home, but with a population as big as China’s that’s a severe reduction.

Right now, I’m doing okay. I’ve got my heat running on high, an extra blanket I brought from home, and a couple extra layers I bought from Wal-Mart (they have’m in China). If I can brave another month of this I think I’ll come out in one piece when its all over.

Warm wishes (hehe),

Liam

So long Aotearoa…

Last day in New Zealand.

It’s currently 9PM here in Sydney and I haven’t slept in about 36 hours. But these have been some crazy awesome hours.

After a 2AM drive to the airport with Maggie and Emily, I hung out with them before they had to go through security, on their way to Brunei and Thailand. Then it was the waiting game. People were crowding through the arrival gates from San Francisco, Santiago, Apia and Perth. But all I cared about was NZ5 from LAX. Finally, I started to see luggage tags from L.A. and then, a bright blue Delaware sweatshirt appeared in the doorway. I cannot describe how amazing it was to see him. After days of tears and depression with people leaving, it was great to see someone I hadn’t seen in so long.

I got to show my Dad the smallest bit of New Zealand, but I think he loved every minute. From the view on top of Mt. Victoria to the beer at lunch, he was pretty happy with his 10 hours in the country.

Next we boarded our flight to Sydney and it was way harder for me to deal with than I had imagined. As the plane started off down the runway, I realised that I was going to take off from New Zealand and wouldn’t be there again for many years, if ever again. The memories will live vividly in my mind, and I’ll always be able to look at pictures, read this blog or chat with a friend about the amazing time we spent together in Aotearoa.

Two things are for sure: First, I’ll miss this country and the people I met so much. Second, my life will never be the same.

Expect more from Aus soon!

Kia Ora,

Liam

Best Beach Ever, Catlins Coast, South Island, New Zealand